The San Juan Capistrano City Council in a 3-2 vote shot down a proposal to oust Rob Williams from the Planning Commission over concerns that he has at least the appearance of a conflict of interest regarding a hotel project.
Author Archives: Adam Elmahrek
Posted inCountywide, Investigative, San Juan Capistrano, Top Stories
Conflict of Interest Allegations Dog San Juan Planning Commissioner
Planning Commissioner Rob Williams is facing possible ouster because he’s refused recuse himself from voting on a hotel development owned by Hollywood producer Steve Oedekerk. Williams has financial ties to a competing project.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Top Stories, Water, Power & Waste
Water District’s Secretive Committees Likely Violate Open Meetings Law
The Orange County Water District’s Board of Directors has several committees that meet outside of public view. And several of them appear to be doing so illegally, according to open government expert Terry Francke.
Posted inCountywide, Politics & Elections, Top Stories
What We Learned the Day Trump Came to Town
The Voice of OC crew couldn’t resist showing up to GOP presidential candidate Donald J. Trump’s rally at the Orange County Fairgrounds Thursday in Costa Mesa. Here are our takeaways.
Posted inAnaheim
Presidential Politics Trump Anaheim Council Meeting
The scene at Anaheim City Hall Tuesday resembled a Donald Trump rally, with flashes of physical violence, verbal bashing of Muslims and illegal immigrants, and even a condemnation of the media. Except Trump was 3,000 miles away.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Inside the Newsroom, Investigative
Supervisor: Voice of OC Publisher ‘Coached’ Him On Register Correction Demand
Norberto Santana Jr. guided county Supervisor Todd Spitzer’s demands for a correction to an Orange County Register article that scrutinized the supervisor’s citizen’s arrest of a man last year, the county alleges in a court filing. Santana says the filing mischaracterizes the interaction.
Posted inAnaheim, Countywide, Garden Grove, Government, Top Stories, Transportation
What’s On the Agenda This Week in Orange County
Local policymakers will be deciding on the purchase of Santa Ana’s abandoned bus depot that could help alleviate homelessness, holding a hearing proposed new voting districts in Garden Grove, and weighing in on Donald Trump’s “divisive rhetoric.”
Posted inCountywide, Investigative, Santa Ana, Top Stories
Santa Ana Council Hears Debate Over Fate of City Jail
Activists who see the city’s contract with the federal government to house immigration detainees at the city jail as an insult to Santa Ana’s majority Latino population clashed Tuesday with jail employees who say the activists have painted an inaccurate picture of conditions at the jail.
Posted inHealth & Wellness, News Briefs, Santa Ana
Santa Ana Council to Talk About Getting Out of the Jail Business
The city’s jail has long been controversial because it houses U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees in a largely Latino city. Tuesday, council members will consider a move toward ending the contract with ICE.
Posted inCountywide, Investigative, Placentia, Top Stories
What Happened in Placentia?
As city leaders come to terms with the alleged $4.3-million embezzlement by former Finance Manager Michael M Nguyen, experts say the city administration lacked proper internal controls.
